San Juana Guillermo dives deep with host Janie Terrazas into the shadows of family incest. Throughout most of her childhood, and young adult life, she was molested, harassed, raped and abused by men she knew. She discusses the cultural toxic masculinity that is deeply embedded within her family dynamic, and why most incest victims remain in a state of helpless silence.
Her powerful poetry, which has been her source of healing, exposes the nightmares she had to face as a child. She now supports and encourage others to come of out hiding through Raise the Whisper, an organization that uses the arts to help victims of sexual abuse.
San Juana Guillermo is the 2nd of 12 children. She married and moved to Grand Rapids, MI where she raised her 5 children. She is a grandmother to 13 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. Ms Guillermo wrote her first poem at the age of 60 and now 6 years later, she has had poems published in St. Sucia, The Tejano Conjunto Festival magazine, chapbooks by Jazz Poets of San Antonio and Voces Cosmicas. She, along with poetesses Joyous Windrider Jimenez and Mandy Lynn Lara, are co-organizers of Raise the Whisper, a group that is dedicated to giving a voice to family rape survivors through the arts. Ms. Guillermo is working on an autobiography and a poetry book.
Read host Janie Terraza’s A Sacred Story in The Owl magazine.
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